The Trail Blazers have established themselves a force to be reckoned with in the West this season, and have picked up 9 wins in their last 10 games. Much of the reason for that is Lillard, who was great last year, and has somehow improved leaps and bounds this year. The Clippers are still one of the toughest teams to beat, especially when Paul and Griffin are clicking, so Portland will have their work cut out for them. The match-up between Lillard and Paul makes this a must-see game this week.

The Trail Blazers made changes in the off-season to try to improve their standing in the West, and may be a tougher team this year because of it. The Clippers are about to find out how much improvement this Portland team has made, and whether or not the Trail Blazers will be a threat this season.